19 autograph letters and notes, in Spanish, mostly signed "Frida" or "Fisita," 27 pages (varying sizes), in Mexico and New York, with envelopes, including one with a Chinese Yin Yang symbol, 4 telegrams, to Diego Rivera. With: Certificate of Marriage for Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, State of California, San Francisco, 11 August 1949; with autograph list of American popular songs and Mexican folk songs; with autograph list of twelve Mexican festivals written on the back of an envelope.

Catalogue Note

An exceptional collection of rare autograph letters which touch on the most intimate subjects of the artist’s life, including love letters as long as four and six pages, signed "Fisita," "Frida la llorona," "Tu Frida," "Tu antiquísima ocultadora," "Tu antigua ocultadora y niña Fisita." Kahlo's words embody the fierce passion that defined her relationship with Diego Rivera and led to their famous remarriage. Written in an endearing style--with various inks and coloured pencils on unusual types and sizes of paper--these letters also reveal Kahlo's tenderness and affection for Rivera. One of the notes bears a dried carnation; this floral scent was Kahlo's favorite perfume. Also included here are the couple’s second marriage certificate, several romantic envelopes used as note leaves, and a Yin Yang symbol drawn on a leaf which is a recurrent image in both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s work and appears many times in her diary. Kahlo is notably depicted holding this symbol in Rivera's magnificent mural Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central [Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Central Alameda]. This Chinese symbol becomes a metaphor for Rivera and Kahlo’s complex relationship: Rivera began as Kahlo’s mentor; they then married, separated, and got back together; they were political comrades; and they painted each other frequently.

Kahlo's health is one of the predominant subjects of her letters, although she tries not to dwell on the pain. On May 29, 1946, she writes Rivera from New York about the operation on her spine, which she had optimistically hoped would cure her excruciating back pain. But alas, the surgery did not work: “Diego mio, (…) me hicieron la punción para tratar de sacar el lipiodol pero no pudieron sacar ni una sola gota. No sufrí mucho pues aunque no quisieron darme anestesia general, me aguanté a lo macho tres piquetes con la esperanza de acabar con la maldita lata del lipiodol, pero ya ves tú mi vida, qué suerte tengo, nada salió”. Kahlo returns to Mexico in October where large doses of morphine are prescribed for her pain. Confined to an iron corset for eight months, Kahlo's health worsens and she develops anemia. At that time, her handwriting changes along with her paintings, her self-portraits in particular depicting her pain and suffering. Later that year, she mentions a little painting for Lina: "esté es el cuadrito para Lina [Boytler]" referring to El Venato Herido [the wounded deer] which she offered to Lina and Arcady Boytler as a wedding gift, representing her body as that of a deer stabbed by arrows. In the letter dated "23 de Feb 1948," she explains her hopes that painting will cure her from the pain: "He pasado unos dias muy difíciles, pero yo creo que comenzando a pintar me sentiré mejor."

In April 1953, a year before her death, Kahlo writes Rivera a letter that can be seen as a Will or final, painful declaration of love: “Diego, mi corazón, desde tu casa de Coyoacan, te espero, como te he esperado 23 años. El 19 de Agosto de 53, haremos 24 años de unión. Procuras regresar lo más pronto que puedas porque sin ti, México no existe (…)”.

Condition Report

56

Kahlo, Frida

CORRESPONDENCE WITH DIEGO RIVERA. 1940'S - 1953

19 autograph letters and notes, in Spanish, mostly signed "Frida" or "Fisita," 27 pages (varying sizes), in Mexico and New York, with envelopes, including one with a Chinese Yin Yang symbol, 4 telegrams, to Diego Rivera. With: Certificate of Marriage for Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, State of California, San Francisco, 11 August 1949; with autograph list of American popular songs and Mexican folk songs; with autograph list of twelve Mexican festivals written on the back of an envelope.

see cataloguingIn response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.